Zimbabwe

parliamentary democracyIndependence 18 April 1980 (from UK)

Zimbabwe as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHarare
Position20 00 S, 30 00 E
Area390,580 sq km
LocationSouthern Africa, northeast of Botswana
1997

Every edition of Zimbabwe

Populationas each edition published it
11.42 million July 1997 est. · 10.39m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.26% 1997 est. · 1.32% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
40.84 years 1997 est. · 42.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.94 children per woman 1997 est. · 5.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
72.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 65 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,340 1996 est. · $545 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5.5% 1996 est. · -10% in 1993

Geography

Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana

18 fields

Land useshare of 390,580 sq km

arable land 7%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 13%forests and woodland 23%other 57% (1993 est.)irrigated 1,930 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
390,580sq km
land: 386,670 sq kmwater: 3,910 sq kmslightly larger than Montana
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
2,592m
Inyanganilowest point: junction of the Lundi and Savi rivers 162 m
Land boundaries
3,066km
border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Location

Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 30 00 E

Climate

  • tropical;
  • moderated by altitude;
  • rainy season (November to March)

Terrain

mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Natural resources

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Natural hazards

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - current issues

  • deforestation;
  • soil erosion;
  • land degradation;
  • air and water pollution;
  • the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:
Desertification

People

15 fields
Population
11,423,175
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 1.26% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
31.65Death
19.02

Ethnic groups

African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%)white 1%mixed and Asian 1%

Religions

syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%Christian 25%indigenous beliefs 24%Muslim and other 1%
Literacy
85%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write in Englishmale: 90%female: 80% (1995 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:
43% (male 2,507,219; female 2,471,357)
15-64 years:
54% (male 3,020,632; female 3,106,729) 65 years and over : 3% (male 154,231; female 163,007) (July 1997 est.)

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is a small but steady flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa in search of better paid employment

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.95 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

72.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
40.84 years
male:
40.85 years
female :
40.83 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.94 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun :
Zimbabwean(s)
adjective:
Zimbabwean

Languages

English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987)

20 fields

Legislature, 120 seats, elected 8-9 April 1995one dot, one seat

ZANU-PF 117ZANU-Ndonga 2independent 1

Country name

conventional long form :
Republic of Zimbabwe
conventional short form:
Zimbabwe
former:
Southern Rhodesia

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Administrative divisions

  • 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status;
  • Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo (Victoria), Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands

Independence

18 April 1980 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution

21 December 1979

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
  • Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990);
  • note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government :
  • Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
  • Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990);
  • note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet :
Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly
elections:
  • president nominated by the House of Assembly for a six-year term (if more than one nomination, an electoral college consisting of members of the House of Assembly elects the president);
  • election last held 26-27 March 1996 (next to be held NA March 2002);
  • co-vice presidents appointed by the president
election results:
  • Robert Gabriel MUGABE elected president;
  • percent of electoral college vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 92.7%, Abel MUZOREWA 4.8%;
  • Ndabaningi SITHOLE 2.4%

Legislative branch

unicameral parliament, called House of Assembly (150 seats, 120 of which are directly elected by popular vote for six-year terms; of the other 30 seats, 12 are nominated by the president, 10 are occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 by provincial governors)

elections:
last held 8-9 April 1995 (next to be held NA April 2001)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ZANU-PF 117, ZANU-Ndonga 2, independent 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert MUGABE];
  • Zimbabwe African National Union-NDONGA or ZANU-NDONGA [Ndabaningi SITHOLE];
  • Zimbabwe Unity Movement or ZUM [Edgar TEKERE];
  • Democratic Party or DP [Emmanuel MAGOCHE];
  • Forum Party of Zimbabwe [Enock DUMBUTSHENA];
  • United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Amos Bernard Muvengwa MIDZI
chancery:
1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 332-7100

FAX

[1] (202) 483-9326

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Johnnie CARSON
embassy:
172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
mailing address:
P. O. Box 3340, Harare
telephone :
[263] (4) 794521

FAX

[263] (4) 796488

Flag description

  • seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black based on the hoist side;
  • a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle

Economy

Agriculture employs 70% of the labor force of this | landlocked nation and supplies almost 40% of exports.

22 fields
Real growth rate
5.5%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 10% (1994)
Unemployment rate
45%
at least · (1994 est.)
Labor force
4.228million
(1993 est.)by occupation: agriculture 70%, transport and services 22%, industry 8%

GDP - composition by sector(1993 est.)

agriculture 18.3%industry 35.3%services 46.4% (1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$2.5 billionExpenditures
$2.9 billion
expenditures including capital expenditures of $29 million (FY96/97 est.)

Economy - overview

Agriculture employs 70% of the labor force of this landlocked nation and supplies almost 40% of exports. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but minerals and metals account for about 40% of exports. Severe drought caused GDP to drop 8% in 1992, with growth rebounding to 2% in 1993 and 4.5% in 1994, only to drop by 2.4% in 1995.

The government is continuing to push its IMF/World Bank structural adjustment program aimed at encouraging exports and foreign investment. Officials face the difficult task of restraining expenditures in their effort to keep inflation within bounds.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $26.4 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,340 (1996 est.)

Industries

mining (coal, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), copper, steel, nickel, tin, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Electricity - capacity

2.15 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

7.33 billion kWh (1994)

Agriculture - products

corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs

Exports

total value:
$2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
agricultural 47% (tobacco 31%), manufactures 27%, gold 12%, textiles 8%, ferrochrome 6% (1994 est.)
partners:
South Africa 14%, UK 10%, Germany 8%, Japan 8%, (1995 est.)

Imports

total value:
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment 41%, other manufactures 16%, chemicals 16%, fuels 10% (1994 est.)
partners:
South Africa 41%, UK 7%, US 6%, Japan 6% (1995 est.)

Debt - external

$4.4 billion (1994)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $362 million (1993)

Currency

1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 10.8696 (January 1997), 9.9206 (1996), 8.6580 (1995), 8.1500 (1994), 6.4725 (1993), 5.0942 (1992)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
301,000
(1990 est.)

Telephone system

system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance

domestic:
consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiotelephone communication stations
international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 18, shortwave 0

Radios

890,000 (1992 est.)

Televisions

280,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
184
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m : 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 8

Railways

total :
2,759 km (1995)
narrow gauge:
2,759 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double track) (1995 est.)

Highways

total:
91,099 km
paved:
15,486 km
unpaved :
75,613 km (1993 est.)

Waterways

the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique

Pipelines

petroleum products 212 km

Ports and harbors

Binga, Kariba

Airports

402 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 199 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 198 (1996 est.)

Military

Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, | Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary | Police)

5 fields

Military branches

Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,717,032 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement

Illicit drugs

significant transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets TAIWAN

Central Intelligence Agency. “Zimbabwe.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/zimbabwe/1997.

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